Dreams of Freedom
by Art4Life1
Summary: Alfred dreams of his mother, Native America. Sucky summary, I know. It might change later. I promise the story is better.
1. Chapter 1

The wind whistled in my ears as I soared through the sky. It rustled my feathers as I flapped my wings and flew higher into the blue.

I could hear my brothers padding feet beneath me, his thick white fur billowing with every step he took as he ran through the endless stretch of green that lay before us. His paws left no imprints in the grass.

Trees of every kind, flowers of any color, stretched across the land. Animals of all shapes and sizes lay below me. Most strayed away from our path, but we welcomed them all the same.

I soared through a fluffy white cloud, feeling the moisture soak through my feathers. I could see snowflakes starting to form and condense, only to fall into the same cycle and repeat.

Flapping my wings I went higher. I felt the wind reach me once more and went down with the current.

The feeling that coursed through me was unbelievable. It was hard to describe yet it so easy at the same time.

I felt… Free. Truly and utterly free.

A cry, or should I say laugh, left my beak and echoed through the valley. My brother let out a roar and I knew he was feeling the same thing.

Another laugh came from the distance. It flowed into the valley like water would in a stream. It was so familiar to me. I turned my head to see a large, majestic black eagle flying just above me. The wings glinted with sunlight and almost made them seem to glow.

Its pale blue eyes were warm and accepting, yet an aura of strength radiated from all around it. The sense of freedom grew with its presence, as if the two were connected.

Happiness swirled inside of me. Gaho. Mother.

Brother looked directly at her and smiled. I think both of us had tears in our eyes. I spun around once, un-able to contain myself.

Gaho laughed once more. 'My sons.'

Her voice sounded very airy, almost like it was a part of the wind. At the same time it was rock solid, like the ground below us.

She looked between us and a hint of sadness crept into her smile and her voice.

"My boys… how much you have grown." As quickly as the sadness came, it disappeared. An emotion I couldn't quite place replaced it.

"I am so proud of you."

My heart swelled at her words. I had doubted I would ever hear those words from her. I opened my mouth to speak but her words came first.

"Let us be free." At the words we flew higher into the sky.

Not a moment later I felt something shaking my shoulder. I glanced to my right but saw nothing there. I shrugged it off and kept on, thinking it was just my imagination.

The next moment, there it was again, but this time on both shoulders. But no one was there.

I caught the end of a voice, as faint as the rustling grass.

"Ed…" I paused. What? "…red… Al… fred…"

I blinked in confusion. Why was someone calling my name?

Suddenly I felt as if I was floating upwards in a lake. I squeezed my eyes shut. It was like I had looked directly at the sun. The voices became clearer.

"Alfred, wake up you git!"

I recognized that voice but who did it belong to…

"Get up Alfred aru."

That voice was familiar too…

I heard another voice softer than the others, but it was as clear as day. it was talking to the others. "Don't. Let him be."

That was Matthew. Where had he gone? Where was gaho?

I opened my eyes and felt my heart drop. Arthur, Yao, Francis, and Matthew stood around me.

…It was a dream…?

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**AN: This is something I wrote a while ago. Its probably just going to be a one-shot, but tell me what you think. **

**Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

I opened my eyes. I was in a chair, with my head on a table. …What? I looked around, confused. How did I get in the meeting room?

My gaze moved upwards and I saw that Francis was standing in front of me. When he saw me looking at him his worried expression morphed into a grin.

"Ah mon petit, I was afraid you would not wake up!"

I blinked in confusion. I had been… asleep? No, I couldn't have been. It was so real…

Francis bent down in front of me, his smile slowly disappearing. "Are you alright Mathieu? What did you dream about?"

I simply stared.

"_My sons, I have something for you."_

_I looked up and smiled when I spotted her. "Gaho!" We had been seeing less of her recently. Brother and I had missed her._

_She smiled. "Yes. I am sorry that I haven't been able to see both of you…" Her smile faded for just a moment before it returned. "Would you like to see what I have?" We both nodded._

"_What is it Gaho?" Brother asked, practically jumping up and down. _

_Gaho laughed. "You will see Wenutu." She pulled out something from behind her back and knelt in front of us. "This is what I want to give you both."_

_I looked at it curiously. I had seen the people use this thing, but I wasn't sure what was for. "What is it?"_

_She twirled it in her hands and smiled at me. "This, Ohanzee, is a dream catcher."_

_Brother and I stared at it curiously. "It catches dreams?" We asked._

_Gaho shook her head. "In ways." She pointed to the web spiraling through the circle. "The bad dreams get caught in the web."_

_Brother tilted his head. "What happens to the good dreams gaho?"_

_She responded by pointing at the hole in the middle of the web. "The good dreams go through here and don't get caught." _

_We stared at it in wonder. "How does it do that?"_

"_That's for you to find out." She ruffled our hair and stood up. "Where would you two like to hang it?" _

_Brother ran to a spot above where we slept, while I stayed put. Gaho turned her head._

"_What is it Ohanzee?" _

_I walked next to my brother. "What are dreams gaho?"_

_She paused and blinked before smiling softly. "Well…" she motioned for us to sit. "Dreams can be messages or warnings... They can speak of the future or the present. They can be of the past as well. They can also be what you want to see, or where you want to be. Some-" _

"Mathieu, are you alright?" Francis asked, shaking my shoulder.

I blinked. Tears stung my eyes. I hadn't thought of that in years…

Francis leaned down, eyebrows furrowing in concern.

I shook my head and glanced around the room. Further away I spotted Alfred. He was asleep and… What?

Arthur and Yao were trying to wake him. A feeling prickled in my gut and my eyes narrowed. They needed to let him sleep. God knew he hadn't had anything good in them in the last… Well, forever really.

"Don't. Let him be."

Both of the older countries stopped and stared at me. I wasn't sure if it was because my voice was loud, or they could see me, but they were looking at me like I had drowned their goldfish.

Alfred's eyes fluttered open. He looked around, shock showing plainly in his eyes.

"Al?"

He turned his head towards my voice.

"It… It was a dream?"

He sounded so… Confused, sad… or devastated. That seemed to fit his expression more. Tears welled up in my eyes again. What had he- My eyes widened. The same dream.

I looked at the other nations in the room. Any nations still in the meeting room were staring confusedly at us. Something clicked in my mind and I fought the urge to face palm. Of course. We were speaking in our native language… Or at least one of them… No one knew what on earth either of us was saying. Maple…

Sighing, I grabbed Alfred's wrist and pulled him up. We needed to leave. "Come with me Alfred." I didn't bother switching languages.

For once, he followed me without a word. And even more surprising, none of the other countries came immediately rushing after us. We walked down the hallway, trying to avoid what nations we could. We had been released for a much needed break not too long ago.

Finally, we reached the last hallway to the exit. I turned, only to nearly run into a very familiar albino.

Gilbert smiled. "Hey birdie, doing anything awesome?"

It just had to be gilbert didn't it? The one time I wanted to get out of a meeting… No offense to Gil but really?

The Prussian paused, glancing between us. His smile dropped. "What's up?"

Alfred opened his mouth to speak, only to close it again. No doubt he didn't trust his voice at the moment. I could practically see the memories resurfacing.

"We just-" My voice cracked and I cleared my throat. Maple Matthew, speak English. "We need to leave for the rest of the meeting Gil… I-it's kind of important and-"

Gilbert raised a hand, telling him to stop, and shook his head. "It's fine. Don't worry, the awesome me will cover for you two."

Alfred and I blinked. "Really?"

Gilbert nodded. "Ja bruder of mein freund."

I stared at him a moment before nodding. I was a little hesitant. "Are you sure?" I wanted to leave, but he would be facing Ludwig's wrath.

The elder smirked. "Yeah, I'm sure. West will just try and "ground" me, maybe try and handcuff me to something." He paused in thought. "I might be a little late sneaking into the next meeting."

I smiled. He would never change. "Thanks Gil. We owe you one."

He shook his head. "Think nothing of it birdie. You don't owe me anything."

I nodded once more before Alfred and I continued, though he turned around at the last second. "Thanks."

Gilbert nodded and Gilbird cheeped happily on his shoulder as we walked out the door.

When we entered the parking lot, it didn't take long for me to find my car. Alfred and I walked silently and got in. Kuma looked up from the backseat, but he seemed to sense the mood emanating from both of us and decided to keep quiet.

I pulled out and tried not to let my thoughts wander. …Easier said than done. Every few seconds my mind kept going back to the dream. Why had I had it? Why now? …It had felt so real too. It honestly hadn't felt like a normal dream. Why-

A horn ringing filled my ears. I blinked. I was dangerously close to the car in front of me. My eyes widened and I pressed the brakes. The car skirted forward with a final honk while I called, "Sorry!"

Sighing, I glanced at Alfred. He was staring out the window as if nothing had happened.

"You shouldn't be driving." I looked behind me at Kuma. He was right, but there was no way I was going to let Alfred drive.

I decided to keep my attention on the road. We were close to Al's house at least.

After a couple of minutes of complete silence, I had to say something. "Alfred." My brother jumped slightly before turning his head my way.

"Hmm?"

"… Did you have the same dream I did?"

Alfred paused, blinking. "Uh…" His eyebrows furrowed. "Yeah… I think I did. Were you… in a field? Running?"

It was my turn to blink. "…Yeah actually, I was. And you were flying right?" He nodded. I slowly turned my head back to the road. "Have you ever had a dream like that before?"

"Maybe. I think… I don't know. It feels like I have."

I nodded. My thoughts exactly… but why were we having the same dream?

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**AN: Here's the new chapter. I didn't realize I had been gone this long... Two months I think? Sorry guys. Anyway, this will have another chapter and i'll explain things more. It'll probably be a longer chapter.**

**To anyone who understands the Kingdom Hearts reference, you are awesome. I couldn't help putting it in there... Also, to anyone who's curious, here's what their names mean:**

**Matthew/Ohanzee- A shadow that comforts(Sioux)**

**Alfred/Wenutu- Clearing sky after storm(Native American. Not sure what tribe.)**

**Translations: **

**Bruder of mein freund- Brother of my friend(German)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hetalia.**

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I stared out the window, looking at nothing in particular. Why were we having the same dream? Was it a sign or a message or… They could just be dreams. I sighed and shook my head. The idea faded as quickly as it came. No, they felt too real. There was no way that they were just that.

But… Honestly I loved those dreams more than anything. They were peaceful and quiet. I loved being able to fly and when Matt was there, I was glad that he was happy for once. That no one was mistaking him for me or anything.

Running a hand through my hair I rested my head against the window. The memories that I kept tucked away were rising to the surface now, and I just let them come. It didn't matter if I wanted to see them or not.

"_Wenutu!" _

_I turned and saw my brother running towards me. He looked like he was carrying something. My head tilted. "What is it?"_

"_Look." He stopped in front of me and looked down at the white thing in his arms. My eyes widened._

"_Wow, is that a bear?" _

_Brother nodded happily. I stroked its fur. It wasn't very big. It looked to be only a cub. Its fur was white and soft. "Did you find him?"_

"_Yes. I was looking near the woods and he was there."_

_My eyebrows knitted together. "Does he have any family? They could be looking for him."_

_Ohanzee's smile dropped for a moment. "No, he doesn't… Gaho told me that he was special." _

_Both of our heads tilted as we looked at the polar bear. He shifted and blinked his eyes open, looking at both of us. He stared at me a moment and I thought I heard him say, "Who", before he licked brother's face._

_Brother and I followed Gaho through the grass when she stopped and looked back at me. I pouted and gazed sadly at the bunny in my arms. "Do we have to let him go gaho?"_

_She nodded. "Yes Wenutu."_

"_But can't we-"_

_A head shake cut me off. Gaho knelt in front of me. "You need to let him go. He probably has family looking for him. Wouldn't you, if one of us went missing?" My eyes widened._

"_Yes." I pet the bunny's head, whining quietly. "I'll miss him." _

_Gaho smiled softly and watched the bunny nuzzle my hand. "I think he will miss you too." She met my eyes. "Wenutu, do you love the bunny?" I nodded. "Then you should give him freedom. Everything deserves that."_

_I sighed, knowing she was right. I kissed the bunny's head before I set it on the ground. Brother pet its head. _

_The bunny looked at us, like it was wondering if it should go or not. It hopped over to me. I knelt down and it licked my nose before starting to hop away. _

_Gaho laughed lightly. Brother frowned. "Will it come back gaho?"_

"_If it loves you, then it will always come back." _

_I looked at brother and smiled. It would come back one day._

_I glanced at Ohanzee. He shrugged and we stopped when Gaho did. We were at the edge of a clearing. She knelt in front of us, a sad light shining in her eyes as she looked between us. The only sound came from the grass. _

_I walked closer to her. Why was she sad? "What's wrong?"_

_She smiled sadly, ruffling my hair. "There are some things I must take care of Wenutu. You will not see me for a while."_

"_But we will see you again?" Brother asked, his bear by his side. I nodded._

"_Of course, right Gaho?" _

_She laughed, pulling both of us into an embrace. "Did the bunny come back?"_

_I nodded. "Yes." A bad feeling crept into my stomach._

_She pulled away. "Then you will see me again." We smiled and she took a deep breath, looking at brother. "Ohanzee, look after your brother. You know how he likes to get into trouble." I was about to say something when her lips turned up into a smirk. Brother nodded. "Wenutu, make sure your brother is safe as well. Look out for each other." She paused and sighed softly. "Both of you find someone like us that has good intensions, that you can trust. If you find two different countries and get separated, you will find each other again."_

_We glanced at one another and nodded. Gaho stood up and walked behind us, gently nudging us forward. "I love both of you. I will see you soon."_

"Al, we're here."

I jumped, blinking in surprise, looking at my surroundings. Right… We were in the car. I pulled open the car door, ignoring Matthew's concerned expression for the moment. It was a good thing the memories hadn't continued. After that, things weren't… they were okay with us, but not with Gaho.

Searching through my pockets, I looked for the keys that weren't there. Something jingled behind me. I turned around and saw Matthew holding them. I caught them when he tossed, stuffed them in the lock and turned.

Matthew walked in and I shut the door behind us. We walked to a small room in the back of the house in silence. I opened the door and it automatically locked after I shut it. Matthew was one of the only ones that knew about my… safe rooms, and he was the only one that knew about this one.

He opened a side door and we entered our mother's room. It was pretty large, a little bigger than my own room. Several animal paintings covered the walls and animal skin blankets covered the bed. Gaho lay in it, seemingly asleep.

She was still alive after all these years. Her people were still alive, after all. …She was more or less asleep. It was more like an almost coma like state, and on top of that she was sick.

I felt a wave of guilt roll through me. Matthew met my eyes in silent question and I nodded. She was still the same. Nothing had gotten worse or better.

My brother looked up at the dream catcher hanging above the bed, the same one she had given us. I fingered it absentmindedly, sighing.

Matthew rested a hand on my shoulder and motioned towards the door. He wanted to have a conversation. I nodded and followed him out, gently shutting the door. We sat on the ground and waited in silence for a few minutes before,

"It isn't your fault Alfred."

I shook my head, gazing at the floor. "Yeah, Matt, it is. She's like that because of me."

His eyes narrowed. "No she isn't." He sighed. "Gaho… She knew that something like this was going to happen to her Alfred."

I huffed, feeling defensive even though I wanted to believe his words. "That doesn't mean it's not my fault. I let that happen to her."

"If you put it like that, so did I."

I blinked. No it wasn't. "But it's not your fault."

"Then it isn't yours either."

I shook my head again, resting it on my knees and blinking the tears away. We had had this conversation before. "It is my fault Matt. It just is. I could have stopped this somehow." I heard him sigh.

"…Alfred, do you think she's trying to tell us something?"

I looked up, my eyes just barely peeking over my knees. "What?"

Matthew ran a hand through his hair, eyebrows knit together. "I just… Remember when we got the dream catcher and she explained that dreams can be messages?" I nodded. "I think she's trying to tell us something."

I blinked, weighing the idea in my mind. Telling us something? It kind of made sense, considering she couldn't physically tell us anything. But she didn't tell us earlier when-

"Wait… Were we ever in the same dream together before today?"

Matt stared at the ceiling a moment in thought. "I don't think we have… Maybe once before this but… I'm not sure."

"…do you think she was waiting for us to figure it out?"

He shrugged. "Maybe." They sat in silence for the longest time. Neither knew why but we were oddly comfortable with it. It didn't seem right to break it, but eventually someone had to, if only for a moment.

"You wanna stay in here?" I whispered tiredly. Matthew nodded.

"Yeah…"

After a few more minutes I pulled up left in the room and lay down. "G'night Matt." No more video game playing marathons before a meeting.

_I was flying again. It was a relief, a blessing. I loved it here…_

_Matthew was nowhere in sight. Hmm… I scanned the grassland, looking for any sign of white. There were plenty of animals, but no polar bears. This was interesting. I guess we could only come here when we were asleep. But… Why?_

"_Wenutu."_

_I froze, gliding in the wind. If this wasn't a dream I was sure that I would have dropped out of the sky. Her voice was clearer than last time, like she was actually in the room. _

_No one had called me that name in so long…_

_Suddenly I wasn't in the air anymore. Blinking in surprise, I looked around. I was on the ground, the high grass waving around me. I was also talle-… I wasn't an eagle anymore. I was me._

_Footsteps echoed in front of me, no louder than the wind. My eyes moved upwards and stopped. Gaho stood in front of me. She looked as beautiful as she had the last time I saw her except… Alive, awake… there. My jaw dropped and a tear rolled down my face._

_There was a flash and a second later Matthew was standing next to me. He looked around and his eyes stopped when they found her. "…G-gaho…?"_

_She nodded, a small smile forming on her face. "Yes, it's me." Her laugh filled the air. "It took you long enough."_

"_How?" His voice was as shocked as I'd ever heard it. _

"_I have my ways Ohanzee." _

_I kept staring until she met my eyes. Guilt coursed through me and I averted my gaze. I didn't deserve to see her. I was the reason this-_

"_Wenutu, don't you think about finishing that sentence." _

_My breath caught in my throat. Could she read my thoughts?_

"_I know a little, but no, I can't read either of your thoughts." She let out a deep breath. "Wenutu, look at me."_

_No. I didn't want to... But I found myself slowly lifting my head. Gaho kept eye contact and stepped forward. _

"_What happened to me is not your fault, either of you." She looked towards Matthew for a moment before meeting my eyes again. I opened my mouth to rebut, but her eyebrows narrowed and she gave me a stern look. "No." Her face softened and she smiled._

"_Wenutu, this is not and will never be your fault. I knew my time was running short and I knew the both of you were going to eventually take my place. I knew. So, don't punish yourself for what I accepted long ago. You played no part in it."_

_I saw the truth in her eyes, the forgiveness for something that I apparently had no fault in. Matthew gave a quiet 'I told you so'. _

_The guilt I kept for so long finally started to ebb away. Without really realizing it, I started laughing. It wasn't my fault. It had never been my fault. It was okay. _

_A hand rested on my shoulder. I glanced up even though I knew it was Matt. I probably looked like a lunatic, but who cared. Matthew smiled. He was crying to._

_Gaho looked at Matthew. "The same thing goes for you Ohanzee. I know you think you are at fault as well." She shook her head. "If anything, I should be thanking both of you. You kept me safe and took care of me. You still visit and talk to me…"_

_She stepped forward and pulled us both into a hug, which we gladly returned. I felt her smiling. "I am so proud of you."_

_We stayed like this for I don't know how long. Eventually Gaho started talking again. "This won't be the last time you will see me. I'll visit you often." She paused. "But please don't oversleep just so you can see me. I know it's a lot to ask but please." She waited patiently for us to nod, which we did reluctantly. _

"_Good. Now… Ohanzee, don't let Russia sit on you anymore. Wenutu, if you can, try and show the others more of you every now and then." _

_Her voice, as well as the dream, started to fade. Before the whiteness engulfed my entire vision I heard her say, "Thank you and remember, neither of you are at fault for what happened. I love you both."_

My eyes opened. I looked around. Matthew was sitting up, blinking. I wasn't sure if it was from surprise or confusion.

Tears were still running down my cheeks and I didn't think they were going to stop anytime soon. I pulled myself into a sitting position. My mouth opened though I had no words to say.

Matthew nodded. He wiped his face and I found myself being hugged again. I returned the gesture, not finding a single thing that I could possibly say to help. My mind was both blank and running a hundred miles an hour.

It almost felt like we were little again. There were no words to say, we were just there for each other. And for the first time in a long time, we weren't alone.

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**AN: And there you have it. The last chapter. I'll miss this one... What did you think? Did it end the way you guessed?**

**P.S. Thank you to everyone who read, faved, followed, and reviewed this story. :) I appreciate it.**


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